How Do I Treat Eczema On My Hands

Conlcusion: Follow The Steps Above To Get Rid Of Weeping Eczema

Well there you have it, I really hope that you liked this article and that it helped you understand more about the causes of weeping eczema, and most importantly, what to do about it.

I had couple of situations where my primary eczema turned into a bacteria colonization, so along with my program, I tried to incorporate all of the above into my skin routine.

Here is how I got rid of my weeping eczema:

First, I would clean the areas with cotton and saline solution, gently removing any yellow crusts where those bacteria lived.

Then, I took more cotton and dipped them in a solution of Epsom salts + water. I placed this on my weeping areas, and let them soak in all the water!

After pat drying the area, I applied a lotion moisturizer around the weeping areas where my skin was badly cracked. I also put a layer directly on the areas itself, to thoroughly hydrate the area.

Finally, I got my 10 minutes of sunlight and then followed up again with more moisturizer as my skin was very cracked at the time.

Doing the steps above, helped the weeping stop within DAYS. Which is why I wanted to share this with you! As someone who struggled with this for years, it makes me want to help others who might have it too.

Hopefully, this article helps you finally know what causes it and what to do about it.

How do you deal with weeping eczema? Did these tips help you? Leave me a comment below!

PS: Don’t know where to start? Sign up to my free series The Clear Skin Plan !

Topical Steroids For Eczema

In this series

Topical steroids are medicated creams that are put on the skin. They are used in addition to moisturisers for treating eczema. Topical steroids reduce skin inflammation. A short course will usually clear a flare-up of eczema. Side-effects are unlikely to occur with short courses.

In this article

• Two common mistakes when using topical steroids

But First What Is Eczema

According to Breana Wheeler, MSN, NP, at Facile Dermatology + Boutique, eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions that can cause the skin to become red, itchy, and inflamed. “The word eczema is often used when talking about atopic dermatitis, the most common type of eczema,” she explains. “It’s important to know that patients with atopic dermatitis have an impaired skin barrier, meaning their skin doesn’t hold water in like it’s supposed to, which is what causes the condition’s signature flakes and dryness.”

While eczema can have a genetic component, there’s a variety of things that cause or worsen it, such as our environment and the way in which our immune system responds. Cindy Bae, MD, also points out that while diet and certain foods don’t directly cause eczema, food allergies can often make atopic dermatitis worseanother reason to visit your doc ASAP if you know or think you might be suffering from eczema.

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How I Healed My Eczema Naturally

Healing isnt linear and its quite the learning process. While reading this blog, remember that everyones body is different. What is best for your skin and health, might not be exactly the same as what was best for my own. This is just my personal story. Always talk to your healthcare provider before trying new self-care routines.

Getting To The Root Of All Weeping

Im going to mainly focus on secondary weeping in this article, as this is the one that affects a lot of eczema sufferers. Now you might have heard things about weeping eczema before like: its just your body pushing out toxins, you need to detoxify your blood, or the weeping is normal. I used to think some of these things myself, however as it turns out, many of these statements arent all that accurate.

Let me explain.

On your skin there lives a thriving community of bacteria, called Staphylococcus Aureus These are located in heavy concentrations around your nose, mouth, ears, privates, as well as just on your skin itself.

According to research, the BIGGEST factor that causes weeping on your skin, is due to these bacteria.

Now dont worry, just because you have this bacteria, doesnt mean you have MRSA . Actually Staphylococcus Aureus is a harmless bacteria that lives on the surface of everyones skin.

Mother Nature, in her infinite wisdom, helps us manage these bacteria, by blessing our skin with natural antibiotics and antimicrobial peptides, that help to keep these staph A bacteria under control. Research shows that these natural antimicrobial peptides, help prevent against the colonisation of staph on the skin.

Studies show that many eczema sufferers tend to have impaired skin barriers, which means that along with your skin being more prone to dryness, you are also lacking natural antibiotics to keep these skin bacteria at bay.

Here are some facts:

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Relief Requires Finding The Cause

Effective treatment begins with finding the cause. Anything that irritates your skin can cause hand eczema. Even something as harmless as water can irritate your skin if you often have wet hands. Many people who frequently have wet hands throughout the day, such as nurses, hair stylists, and plumbers get hand eczema.

Working with chemicals like solvents, detergents, or cement also increases the risk. Hand eczema is common among construction workers and machinists.

Chef with hand eczema

Anything that irritates your skin can cause hand eczema. For example, whenever this chef handles garlic, hand eczema develops.

Hand eczema can also be caused by an allergic reaction. Some health care workers get hand eczema from wearing latex gloves.

You also have a higher risk of developing hand eczema if you had atopic dermatitis as a child.

Because so many things can cause hand eczema, finding the cause can be tricky. Until you find the cause and avoid it, hand eczema can worsen.

Thats why it can help to see a dermatologist. These doctors have the expertise needed to track down the cause, as Marks* story illustrates.

What Questions Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider About Eczema

• How can you tell that I have eczema?
• If I dont have eczema, what other skin condition might I have?
• Is there a specific brand of moisturizer that you recommend?
• Is there a prescription cream that you can prescribe?
• How often should I see a dermatologist regarding my eczema?
• What soaps, lotions, makeup, etc. should I avoid?
• What medications do you recommend?
• What at-home treatments do you recommend?

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Eczema is very normal, very common, and very, very uncomfortable. It can affect your quality of life. At its worse it can keep you from sleeping, distract you and make you feel self-conscious in public. See your dermatologist or other healthcare provider as soon as you start to see signs of it. Explore at-home remedies and prescribed treatments.

Youre not alone! 15% to 20% of people experience eczema or another type of dermatitis at some point in their lives.

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Other Causes For Hand Dermatitis:

Latex or non-sterile gloves are essential in the hospital or clinical settings. They are used to protect healthcare workers and their patients from germs, chemicals, and other dangerous substances.

In the same study published in the British Journal of Dermatology, 54% of the responders stated that they use non-sterile gloves for longer than two hours each day.

Unfortunately, there are individuals with true allergy to latex, rubber additives, preservatives or color dyes in the gloves. Wearing gloves every day can trigger an allergic reaction and bring on a hand eczema flare for these individuals.

Wearing gloves for a prolonged period can also trigger hand dermatitis in individuals who do not have a true allergy.

How can this happen?

When your skin has intact skin barrier and a healthy level of lipids, you can prevent limit the level of the latex, allergens or irritants passing beyond the stratum corneum layer of the skin. So the exposure level to these irritants is very low, and do not trigger any inflammation. However, after excessive and frequent hand washings, the skin barriers are weakened and breached. Now your skin is open and exposed, which allow a higher level of irritants penetrate and reach the inner layer of the skin. This can trigger an inflammation and lead to a flare of hand dermatitis.

What we just described is two-part phenomenon allergy vs. irritant. This is a subtle but important point in the management of hand dermatitis.

What Foods Should I Eat Or Avoid To Reduce My Risk Of Eczema

The connection between eczema and food allergies is unclear. If you have food allergies, then one of the reasons why you must avoid that food is that it may cause or worsen dermatitis. Examples of common allergies include peanuts, dairy, eggs, sugar, alcohol and gluten. Pay attention to what you eat. If your eczema flares up after you eat a certain food, then you might have an allergy to it.

If you dont have a food allergy then there are no foods, including chicken, that will cause or worsen your eczema.

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When And How Are Topical Steroids Used

As a rule, a course of topical steroid is used when one or more patches of eczema flare up. The aim of treatment is to clear the flare-up and then to stop the steroid treatment.

It is common practice to use the lowest-strength topical steroid which clears the flare-up. So, for example, hydrocortisone 1% is often used, especially when treating children. This often works well. If there is no improvement after 3-7 days, a stronger topical steroid is usually then prescribed. For severe flare-ups a very strong topical steroid may be prescribed from the outset.

Sometimes two or more preparations of different strengths are used at the same time. For example, a mild steroid for the face and a moderately strong steroid for eczema on the thicker skin of the arms or legs. A very strong topical steroid is often needed for eczema on the palms and soles of the feet of adults because these areas have thick skin.

You should use topical steroids until the flare-up has completely gone and then stop using them. In many cases, a course of treatment for 7-14 days is enough to clear a flare-up of eczema. In some cases, a longer course is needed.

Many people with eczema require a course of topical steroids every now and then to clear a flare-up. The frequency of flare-ups and the number of times a course of topical steroids is needed vary greatly from person to person.

What Does Eczema On Hands Look Like

Eczema is usually characterized by red, scaly areas, bumps or thicker, leathery patches of skin. It is common to see eczema on fingers as well as fingertip eczema. You also may find eczema between fingers. Its like other skin conditions, like psoriasis. Since eczema is so easily confused with other skin conditions, you should consult with a dermatologist if youre unsure if youre suffering from eczema.

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Lifestyle Tips For Hand Eczema

Find the cause.

Ask your doctor if they can do a âpatch testâ to learn what may be triggering your symptoms. They can also help you figure out if something in your day-to-day life, like at work, makes things worse and what you might do differently.

Cut back on handwashing.

Wash your hands only when they’re dirty or have germs, like after you use the bathroom. Each time you wash up, you rinse away some of the nourishing oils that your skin makes.

Also, be picky when you choose soaps because some have harsh chemicals. Look for products that donât use the word âsoapâ but instead say âmild cleansing barsâ or âlipid-free cleansers.â These are gentler on sensitive skin.

Before you suds up, take off your rings. They can trap irritants next to your skin. Rinse your hands with lukewarm water, pat them dry, and moisturize before you put rings back on.

Be sure to dry carefully between your fingers and under rings, where soap residue can linger and skin is more likely to dry or crack.

Stay dry.

You can also go waterless when washing your hands: Rub your usual cleanser between dry hands and blot it off with a soft towel.

Try to avoid hand sanitizers and waterless cleansers with irritating ingredients like alcohol or solvents.

Love the gloves — for a little while.

Wear disposable gloves when handling foods like citrus, tomatoes, onions, chilis, garlic, peppers, or meat.

Manage cracks on your hands.

Dial back the shower power.

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Articles On Psoriasis Symptoms

• Parapsoriasis Rash

Maybe you’re settling into your easy chair for a little Sunday siesta. Or you’re heading out the door for a day of fun in the sun. Either way, you stop and pause, because you’ve got an itch that just won’t leave you alone — along with blotches of red on your skin. What gives?

Your doctor needs to make the final call, but psoriasis or eczema could be the problem. Both are skin conditions with similar symptoms, but there are ways to tell them apart.

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Tips To Prevent Hand Eczema

Now you know about the causes. What can you do to prevent it? Here are some helpful tips to prevent hand dermatitis.

1. Reduce the frequency and exposure to water. This is perhaps the easiest but difficult task for healthcare providers. As stated above, frequent and excessive washing is the leading cause of hand dermatitis. Obviously, if you can reduce the length and frequency of hand exposure to water, you can prevent the severity and the frequency of hand dermatitis.

You may not be able to reduce the frequency of hand washing at work, but you can limit the duration of each hand washing.

Also, you can reduce exposure to water at home. For example, use a dishwasher to wash dishes. Reduce the frequency and time you spent in the shower. Ask your family members to wash the fruits and vegetables.

2. Do not use hot water. Only wash hands with warm or lukewarm water. Hot water can really strip away the natural lipids and break down the skin barrier.

3. Wash hands with hand disinfectants, instead of water and soap. In the same study published in British Journal of Dermatology, use of hand disinfectant was not associated with self-reported hand eczema.

However, it is important to remember that nearly all hand disinfectants are made of alcohol. They can also dry up your hands quickly. So use less per application.

5. Carry a bottle of moisturizers in your pocket and apply it immediately after each hand washing. Apply ample amount of lotions, creams or ointment to both hands.

How Is Eczema Diagnosed What Tests Are Done

Your healthcare provider will take a close look at your skin. They will look for classic signs of eczema such as a redness and dryness. They will ask about the symptoms youre experiencing.

Usually your healthcare provider will be able to diagnose eczema based on examining your skin. However, when there is doubt, they may perform the following tests:

• An allergy skin test.
• Blood tests to check for causes of the rash that might be unrelated to dermatitis.
• A skin biopsy to distinguish one type of dermatitis from another.

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Gloves For Cleaning Tasks

I have found great gloves for my hand eczema. I use Mr. Clean Nyplex Gloves. They are latex free and hypoallergenic. Best of all, the cotton lining is really quite plush! I order directly from the company, which gives a discount for orders over 24. I hope this helps other hand eczema sufferers. My wife and I work in the cleaning industry and it is really important that I protect my hands as best I can.

Bob S.

What To Do At Home

To help prevent hand eczema:

• Wear rubber or latex gloves to protect hands from harsh soaps and detergents when washing the dishes or cleaning.
• Use lukewarm water and a small amount of mild soap when washing your hands.
• Apply prescribed medicated creams and ointments after washing. Then apply a moisturizer.
• Use a fragrance-free, gentle moisturizer during the day. Some examples are: Dove®, Aveeno®, CeraVe®, Cetaphil®, Eucerin® and Aquaphor®.
• Wear warm cotton gloves outside in cold weather to prevent dry, chapped skin.

HH-I-380 6/15 Copyright 2015, Nationwide Children’s Hospital

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Some People Use Too Much

Only use topical steroids for eczema as directed by your doctor. Some people continue to use topical steroids each day in the long term after the eczema has cleared to ‘keep the eczema away’. This is not normally needed. Some people with severe eczema may require continuous steroid treatment. However, this should be under the close supervision of a doctor. All people with eczema should use moisturisers every day to help prevent further flare-ups of eczema.

What Are The Clinical Features Of Hand Dermatitis

Hand dermatitis may affect the backs of the hands, the palms, or both. It can be very itchy, often with a burning sensation, and is sometimes painful. It has acute, relapsing, and chronic phases.

Acute hand dermatitis presents with:

• Red macules, papules, and plaques
• Swelling

Features of chronic hand dermatitis include:

• Dryness and scale

There are various causes and clinical presentations of hand dermatitis.

Hand dermatitis

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